World Polio Day 2021: Date, Theme, History & Significance

World Polio Day is celebrated to raise awareness about polio eradication and thank thousands of healthcare workers who have contributed to removing polio from this world.

When is World Polio Day 2021?

World Polio Day is observed on the 24th of October every year. Polio Day is an annually celebrated event to develop increased awareness about polio and take structural measures towards eradicating this disease.

World Polio Day 2021 – History

Jonas Salk made a breathtaking contribution to the whole world through his discovery of the polio vaccine. The development was indeed a very significant milestone in medical history. Along with this vaccine, the oral form of ingesting this vaccine for kids below five years soon followed suit.

This discovery was carried forward by Albert Sabin. Thus, the world came to terms to fight against the deadly polio disease. Rotary International identified the immense efforts put in by Jonas Salk in bringing up the vaccine. Hence, every year his birth anniversary is also celebrated as International Polio Day.

World Polio Day 2021 Theme

The theme for 2021 is quite a liberating and novel idea. It renders a new vision in the following two ways – it takes a tour of the progress made in polio eradication so far. The continual efforts of healthcare workers so far are accepted and acknowledged through this theme.

• The theme for World Polio Day 2021 is undecided yet. The year 2020 theme was “Stories of Progress: Past and Present”.
• The year 2018 theme was “End Polio Now.”
• The year 2017 theme was “A celebration of the unsung heroes of Polio eradication.”
• 2016 theme focussed on ” End Polio now, make history today.”

World Polio Day 2021 Celebrations

There are several ways in which World Polio Day is celebrated. These celebrations are primarily called in by healthcare workers and front line staff who have been able to contain the disease till now and strive to make extra efforts to create a better future for the next generation:

• Rotary Club members can be seen in full action wearing uniform attires and creating awareness meet various places of importance.
• Carrying the message with them through health marches are another way to create proper awareness among citizens.
• Campaigning and calling for donations from prospective people is another way of celebrating the day.
• Rallying on bikes by spreading the message on placards and banners is also actively planned.
• Media houses invite top honchos from national and international platforms to discuss polio eradication and methods involved for the future course of action.
• Community walks involving people from all walks of life garners better publicity for the event.
• Holding special events and competitions for children, thereby passing on the message to them, is another way of spending the day meaningfully.
• Volunteers who wish to participate in an annual event while promoting polio eradication’s central theme can pour in ideas and make the event a grand success.
• Every year many organisations like Rotary International, in collaboration with many NGOs and local healthcare centres, put in their efforts to make the day a grand success.

Significance of World Polio Day 2021

Through the World Health Organisation’s sustained efforts, Polio has reached a distinct level of eradication across the globe. Polio is one of the dangerous diseases in this world with implications of a lifetime. It is a waterborne disease, and children affected with this disease face the consequences of losing out mobility and walking abilities for their entire life.

Polio vaccination is administered orally to children below five years by governments of respective countries where the disease has shown endemic signs in the past. In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched by collaborations between Rotary International and the World Health organisation.

Around that year, worldwide cases counted up to 3, 50,000 and more.  Developed countries in America, Europe and the Western Pacific are free from this endemic today. Polio has left these regions without a trace. But there are certain other regions where the deadly disease still exists and needs to be eradicated.

Strict measures and vaccinations are to be administered from time to time to completely kill the virus from its roots and declare the entire world polio-free. On the perfect occasion of World Polio Day, such stringent measures can be adopted and stringently practised to heal our next generations from polio.